Football
10y

Ancelotti unsure on Madrid defence vs. Elche; Casillas could be dropped

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has admitted he has defensive selection issues ahead of Tuesday's La Liga clash against Elche, as speculation mounts that summer signing Keylor Navas will make his debut ahead of Iker Casillas in goal.

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Regular centre-back Pepe missed Saturday's 8-2 win at Deportivo La Coruna with a hamstring problem, while defensive partner Sergio Ramos has since been absent from training with a foot injury.

Raphael Varane deputised for Pepe at the Estadio Riazor and looks set to keep his place, while home-grown back-up Nacho Fernandez could also play should Ramos not recover in time.

Meanwhile, both AS and Marca seemed sure on Tuesday morning that 10 million-euro signing Navas is set to make his debut in place of Casillas, who has been whistled loudly at by the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu crowd during all of Madrid's home games this season.

Speaking about his defence, Ancelotti told a prematch news conference that he is still not sure which back four he would send out against 13th-placed Elche.

"Pepe still hasn't recovered from the small problem he's having with his hamstring," he said. "Sergio has a problem in his foot and we are waiting to see if he can overcome it. I'll make a change tomorrow, but nothing major.

"We are still waiting to find out how long his recovery will take and the starting lineup will be announced on the basis of that. The full-backs, who I require a lot of fitness from, are the players who need to be rotated the most. They have to work a lot on the pitch."

Ancelotti gave no hint he was considering leaving out Casillas during his talk with the media on Monday, but did recall comments made by club president Florentino Perez over the weekend about the negativity inside the stadium having become an issue.

"Iker is in great form. As the president said, unity is the most important thing," Ancelotti said. "When the club, the players and the fans are united it is much easier to fight for our goals.

"Last year, having those three elements united helped us to win and that is why we won. We have reacted well. Against Elche we will be tested again and I want to see consistency in our play and our results."

With Madrid having begun a run of five games in 15 days there has also been talk of midfielders Asier Illarramendi and Isco getting further chances to impress, with new signings Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez perhaps being given a rest.

Ancelotti was again giving little away when asked specifically about Illarramendi and Isco.

"We have a few different options within our playing philosophy and now and again we can call on them," he said. "Illarra came on during the match in order to give us more control of the ball, to prevent us from having similar problems to the ones we had in Anoeta [against Real Sociedad] and to offer support to the defenders.

"Everyone wants to play, but both he and Isco are extremely professional, they respect the coach's decisions and are always ready to play."

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